Restricted Death

Chapter 240 All turned to ashes!

On the oppressive battlefield, apart from the howling wind carried by various violent spiritual pressures, there was no other sound. The deathly silence, like viscous heavy water, weighed heavily on the hearts of every living being. The wind was no longer ordinary wind, but a mournful cry of being torn apart, rubbed, and bursting forth from fragmented spiritual particles.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the pinnacle of Soul Society and the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, stands like a mountain at the heart of the battle.

His face, etched with the wrinkles of time and the marks of countless battles, was now as cold and unyielding as ancient ice, devoid of any emotion. The only thing that could reveal the suppressed rage that was threatening to destroy him was the scorching spiritual pressure emanating from him, so heavy and concentrated that it seemed to distort and tremble the very space around him.

His right hand, covered with age spots and calluses from knives, gripped a seemingly simple wooden cane tightly. Under the watchful eyes of thousands, accompanied by a piercing "crack," the surface of the cane peeled away inch by inch, like brittle clay.

Before the fragments even hit the ground, they were instantly reduced to invisible ashes by the pure, scorching spiritual pressure. As the ashes settled, a simple, unadorned Zanpakuto was revealed, possessing a power capable of destroying the world!

Seeing that the Captain-General was about to take action personally in his anger, Kyoraku's brow twitched involuntarily. Although his fear of death was different from that of others, he was still deeply shocked. Without hesitation, he shouted hoarsely at all the Grim Reapers around him, especially the vice-captain and the officers: "Retreat! Retreat now!"

That voice, which always carried a hint of playfulness and languor, was now ripped apart by an unprecedented solemnity. He knew all too well that once the old man drew his sword, its earth-shattering power would be no joke; even the debris or heat waves from the aftershocks of the battle would be enough to instantly vaporize the lives of the core members of the Guardian Corps!

On the other side, Tia Harribel's deep-sea-like eyes instantly narrowed, and her handsome face was covered with an unprecedented solemnity. Koyatai Stark's usual listless expression vanished, replaced by a look of utter wariness as if facing an abyss.

They felt the spiritual pressure of the old man with the knife, like the core of a dormant volcano that had been dormant for billions of years, filled with pure heat that could destroy all life and a suffocating heaviness.

Although they knew that the other party was the Captain-Commander of the Shinigami, they had never faced him directly before. Moreover, there was no sound and stable order within Hueco Mundo. Their understanding of this Captain-Commander was entirely based on some fragmentary rumors. Facing him directly, the danger warning that originated from their life instinct was suddenly amplified to the extreme.

Despite being shocked and angered by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's neglect, Barragan dared not be careless in the face of his knife-wielding opponent.

After nearly two thousand years, this person's spiritual pressure is completely different from what it used to be!
Without the slightest hesitation. To combat this oppressive feeling that could crush the soul, the only way is to unleash one's most primal power without reservation!
boom! boom! boom!
Three overwhelming spiritual pressures burst forth like a dam bursting, almost simultaneously! The air was torn apart, creating visible ripples and swirling chaotic air currents. Pillars of spiritual pressure shot into the sky, illuminating it in an eerie and unsettling way.

Barragan's flesh was stripped away, leaving him a skeleton covered in purplish-black flames, crowned with a crown, wielding a massive black axe and scythe, and emanating an aura even more chilling than before.

The giant waves on Tiahelibel disappeared, her weapon transformed into a greatsword with shark gill patterns, and her appearance became more human-like. The mask on her face was gone, revealing a cold and indifferent expression.

Compared to the other two, Koyat Stark underwent the least change, only his attire changed to a fur coat, and his only subordinate, Lilynette, was transformed into the dual-wielding musket in his hands.

The three characters' Resurrection Blade names are: Skull Emperor, Queen Shark, and Pack of Wolves.

Unlike the sword release of Shinigami, their Resurrección forms are their original powers as Hollows.

The remaining Espada present—Szayelaporro, Zomally, and Yammy—were ashen-faced. They lacked the courage to step forward, their bodies trembling instinctively, their eyes filled with boundless terror.

The numbering of the Espada seemed so pale and laughable at this moment. When faced with the Captain-Commander's overwhelming spiritual pressure, they truly understood what the chasm of despair was!

Unohana Retsu glanced sideways at the numerous officers and soldiers behind her, their faces contorted in pain and nearly suffocating from the intense heat and spiritual pressure. Her red lips parted slightly, her voice remaining calm as still water, yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Everyone, retreat! Immediately!"

As if granted a pardon, these Shinigami felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty. Under the terrifying environment where the Captain-Commander's unimaginable scorching spiritual pressure almost set their lungs on fire, they no longer cared about etiquette or face. They scrambled and retreated as fast as they could, wishing they could escape this area covered by invisible magma as soon as possible.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's expression was cold and stern. His right hand was on the hilt of his sword, and the high-temperature spiritual pressure was like solidified magma, instantly igniting the air!

That was not a visual illusion, but a real and terrifying phenomenon: oxygen was ignited amidst wailing sounds, forming a dark red spectrum that covered the field of vision, composed purely of light and heat!
"Die, you villain!"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's aged yet powerful voice rolled across the sky like muffled thunder. The instant his words fell—

Stupid!
In an instant, the sound of swords being drawn resounded throughout the heavens and earth, as if the entire world consisted of only this one sound. Suddenly, everyone's vision was filled with a vast expanse of crimson! It was no longer a static color, but came alive! It was a roar! It was a surge! It was a devouring!

boom--! ! !
The heaven and earth shook violently!

The crimson hue that met the eye was no longer a static reflection of light and shadow, but transformed into an endless, roaring torrent of flames! From the mountain itself as the origin, the space within a hundred-foot radius seemed to have been plunged into the core of a purgatory of fire; the ground was evaporated, melted, and transformed into a lake of scalding crimson lava in a fraction of a second. The air was no longer a medium for sound, but had become a wall of pure, burning flames.

The spiritual pressures that had been fiercely clashing just moments before—Barragan's deathly purple flames carrying a decaying aura, Halibel's giant wave-like Cero, which attempted to counter water but was instantly evaporated into white mist, and Stark's spiritual particle beam that tore through space and was capable of instantly destroying several cities—the full-force attacks of these three strongest Espada present after their Release: Resurrection, were like ice shards thrown into the sun the moment the sea of ​​fire appeared. They failed to even generate a decent impact and were silently decomposed and annihilated in the world-destroying heat!
"What?!" Barragan's skull jaw opened and closed silently, an unprecedented tremor rising from the depths of his soul. His decaying power couldn't even get close to the core of the flame before being completely evaporated by the pure heat and light.

Halibel's greatsword "Queen of the Mermaids" hummed, not with high fighting spirit, but with the groan and deformation of the weapon itself under extreme heat! Stark's pupils suddenly contracted. His famously high-speed rapid-fire became slow and laughable in the face of that absolute power and domain. The spirit bullets he fired were instantly ignited and dissipated like the faintest sparks.

This is no longer a battle, but the crushing of mortals by gods!

Further back, Zomali, Szayelaporro, and the others were already terrified. Their protective spiritual pressure was as fragile as paper in the face of the lingering heat of Ryujin Jakka, and their skin had even begun to char and crack.

Kyoraku Shunsui had already pulled several captain-level colleagues to a more distant edge of the barrier, his usual lazy and playful expression replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. Unohana Retsu's calm eyes also reflected the flames that could incinerate everything, carrying a hint of imperceptible depth.

Xin tried to erect an ice wall in front of everyone to block the aftershocks of the scorching bodies, but found that all the moisture in the air seemed to have evaporated. His eyes drooped, and the ice blade in his hand had melted away at some point.

The old man standing in the center of the lava lake appeared enormous in the distorted light and heat. His right hand, holding the knife, tilted slightly forward, and the flames, powerful enough to burn stars to nothingness, seemed to come alive, emitting an even more piercing shriek. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence at this moment, with only the low rumble of the flames burning everything remaining—a final proclamation that could pronounce death sentences on any enemy who dared to stand before him.

"Binding Spell Eighty-One: Severing the Void!" Just as Barragan, Halibel, and Stark thought they were about to die, the raging sea of ​​fire, capable of destroying everything, abruptly stopped! It was as if an invisible, time-devouring behemoth had crashed into an invisible barrier that stretched between heaven and earth!

Space twisted violently, and light and shadow refracted wildly! Flames collided violently with the invisible barrier, producing a tooth-grinding sound, as if countless panes of glass were being crushed in an instant! Blazing tongues of fire licked the barrier furiously, trying to find any gaps to invade, but all their efforts were in vain before the ultimate solidity and the stable structure of spiritual particles.

In an instant, the battlefield was divided in two! On one side was a crimson inferno, with churning lava. On the other side was a temporarily preserved space, with the three Espada and the figures behind them.

The flames were blocked.

This sudden and earth-shattering turn of events caused Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's sharp eyes, which seemed capable of scorching the void, to narrow abruptly, revealing a hint of disbelief and an even deeper chill!

Not only him, but all the Grim Reapers who witnessed this scene, whether they were the adjutants who had retreated to a distance or the captains who were still in the battle, were shaken to their core.

Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro stared intently at the direction of the Arrancar, trying to see who had blocked the Captain-Commander's attack.

As the towering flames slowly dissipated, the excruciatingly high temperature in the air did not diminish in the slightest. Only then did everyone realize that two more figures had appeared in front of the three masked figures.

The leader wore a haori worn by the captain of the Gotei 13, with a Zanpakuto at his waist. He had a calm smile on his face, and with one hand slightly raised, faint spiritual pressure light lingered around his fingertips.

Inize?!
Shin's eyes flickered slightly. He hadn't noticed when the other party had appeared. The spiritual pressure carried by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's strike was too strong, completely disrupting the spiritual particle field of this space, making it impossible for him to detect anything around him.

Although this copied space is within the Soul Society, it is isolated from the outside world. It is impossible for the Kido to enter. It can only be assumed that the other party arrived at the entrance of the space and entered through the interdimensional gate.

However, his reappearance here now, does it mean that he has already entered the Great Spiritual Library?
Aside from the matter concerning the Quincy, did he also learn everything about himself...?

"Aizen... has truly betrayed us."

Kyoraku looked at the white figure not far away and muttered to himself. Before actually seeing this scene with his own eyes, he still had some doubts.

Tosen looked unwell and was slightly out of breath.

Aizen lowered his arm, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, lingering briefly on Yuzuri.

"It's so lively."

The understated voice sounded exceptionally clear, yet also unusually jarring, amidst the deathly silence and distorted heat of the air.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stood like a mountain in the center of the churning lava lake. The violent spiritual pressure emanating from him, scorching the space, did not subside despite the attack being blocked; instead, it grew even heavier and more viscous, like the solidified core of a sun. His wrinkled face showed no surprise, only his sharp, dagger-like eyes were slightly narrowed, his gaze piercing through the distorted heat waves, firmly locked onto Aizen.

"Aizen, why?"

An invisible pressure, like a tangible hammer blow, slammed down on Aizen along with the words. The air itself groaned under the weight of this spiritual pressure.

Aizen, however, seemed to be in a gentle breeze, his calm smile unchanged. He even turned slightly to glance at the still-shaken Barragan, Halibel, and Stark behind him.

"Why?" Aizen repeated Captain-Commander Yamamoto's words, letting out a mocking chuckle.

“If you had questioned me like this yesterday, I might have given you a proper explanation, but now I have no interest in doing so.”

A flash of anger crossed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's face. "Aizen, you colluded with the Hollows and harmed your colleagues. The crimes you have committed are unprecedented and you deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Sin?" Aizen stared directly into Yamamoto's angry eyes, his mockery growing stronger.

"If I had to name the greatest sinner in the Soul Society, why do I think it's you?"

Aizen's voice was calm and clear, piercing through the low growl of the flames, like an icy spring falling into lava: "On what kind of corpses and lies is this Soul Society, which is named 'order' and 'balance', built?"

His gaze swept over the rest of the group again.

"How pathetic."

"You... stole the secrets of the Great Spirit Book Corridor!!" Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's eyes seemed to burn with two solid masses of magma. His spiritual pressure erupted, even more terrifying and concentrated than when he blocked the release of three Espada! The entire magma lake roared and churned as if boiling, the rocks at its edges instantly turning to ash. Incandescent spiritual pressure flames rose from the old man's body—a manifestation of absolute power and absolute rage.

Aizen spoke slowly: "It seems you still remember what you did."

(End of this chapter)